Exploration
Fancy doing a microadventure but don’t know how? Here’s a step-by-step guide to make it easy.
The idea of a microadventure is not to fit into a planned route, but to create your own escape. Whether it’s a quick swim in a wild river or an overnight bivvy camp on your local hill, there are plenty of short outdoor activities that take you away from the every day grind, even in the middle of your working week. You just need to know how to think.
So if you’re stuck on how to go about planning one, we’ve taken microadventure pioneer Alastair Humphreys’ advice and worked up a menu that may help.
Step 1: Find a start point
The easiest micro adventure is one close to home – and if you live in a city, finding a decent place not too far away just requires a bit of open-mindedness. To make an easy overnight trip, stay within an hour of home.
When you’re driving around your local area, keep your eyes peeled for wild places you could visit and log them down for later use – lakes, hills, rivers or local points of interest can all be starting points for an adventure.
Likewise, if you commute by train, look at the places you go through and see if they have adventure potential. Or check out the stops in the other direction and see where the line could take you – but check the timetable to make sure you can get back in time for work the next day. Or get a map, draw a circle with your house at the centre that represents a one-hour drive or train ride or a 10-mile distance and see what’s there.
Step 2: Choose a target destination or route
Once you’ve got a starting point – either a convenient place to park your car or a train station you think works – then hit up Google Maps or use a walking map of the area to explore. Using a combination of terrain, satellite and traditional views will quickly bring up potential points of interest near your start point.
If you’re planning on making a habit of microadventuring, then make a list and start ticking off some themes: river, hill, mountain, beach, wood…
Things to look for are steep contour lines that lead to a flat top of a hill, areas of wood or water that could be nice to visit. Always look for a footpath leading off the road to reach quieter areas to camp – but remember, never trespass on private land.
The hardest aspect of all this is finding an area to head to. Don’t fret too much. Just go!
And try to avoid going back on yourself – so if you are taking a car, work out a loop trail or, if you’re going by train, find two stations that are relatively close together that you can walk between.
Step 3: Choose an activity or challenge
To make a microadventure special try to challenge yourself to a ‘life first’ or stretch yourself mentally, physically or culturally. Do something you’ve never done before.
Do whatever you can, whatever excites and inspires you. Just get out into nature and go and do something new and different. The only limit is your own imagination.
It could be getting away from the city lights to spot a shooting star, a full moon, a satellite or even the annual Perseid meteor shower. It could be floating down a river on an inner tube, pack rafting or going for a wild swim or it could be as simple as spotting a bird, bug or animal you’ve never seen. Or going to the same place in spring, summer, autumn and winter to see the changes. Or going off road on your bike for the very first time.
Step 4: Choose your kit
The phrase ‘there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing’ was never more true than on a microadventure – so check the predictions and pick your clothing wisely to balance between too much and too little kit.
Even if you don’t own any outdoor gear, you can assemble all that you need for a microadventure pretty cheaply.
If you’re cooking, basic requirements are some billycans, a Swedish fireknife, a frying pan and spatula and something to eat from and with. And last but not least a torch with spare batteries – because getting stuck out in the middle of nowhere with no torch is not a nice experience.
Step 5: Choose how to eat and sleep
Cooking wild in a remote location requires some preparation and precautions. Lighting fires when wild camping is illegal, so stoves are the best option – and you can make your own stove from a beer can.
Take simple foods to cook – pasta and a basic sauce is always good – or, if you want to take it easy, just check what facilities are available at your starting point or along the route and get a take-out!
Wild camping is what it’s all about, and a bivvy bag is the microadventurer’s friend – as they are light, warm and allow you to sleep out under the stars whether it’s on top of a hill, by a beach or by a river. Even if it’s raining, it provides a unique experience!
Sleeping in a bivvy bag adds a childlike sense of excitement. Even after all the nights I've slept wild, I still feel more exposed and vulnerable in a bivvy bag than in a tent. The reality, though, is you are usually far safer than you feel.
A simple sleeping bag and mat are essential and if you think it’s going to rain, build a basha – you can either buy one or make one using a tarpaulin with eyelets, bungees, tent pegs and a hiking pole. Or take a tent.
Step 6: Choose a companion
Once you’ve got your plan, that’s the hard bit done. You can go on your own, but it’s more fun to share the adventure – and when you’ve got a ready made plan it’s easier to convince someone to join.
It’s even more rewarding to give someone else their first experience of something wild – suggest it to a friend or family member or go with someone random.
And hey, if all that is too challenging, then just go sleep in your garden... Go here for more of Alastair's tips on microadventures.
Alastair Humphreys is an ambassador for Hope and Homes for Children and hosts their regular Night of Adventure charity events. Find out more about Night of Adventure on this Facebook page.
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